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Newton County becomes covered in snow for second time this year
snow

What’s better than one snow day? Two snow days.

Less than two weeks after snow touched down in Newton County for the first time since 2018 citizens did not have to wait another seven years for another snow day.

It was originally forecasted that snowy weather would return on Tuesday, Jan. 21, according to both Apple’s weather service and The Weather Channel. The forecasts proved to be true as snow began to stick in the early afternoon hours.

The winter weather persisted well into Wednesday, with snow and ice remaining on the ground for much of the afternoon. As of press time, some back roads are still filled with patches of ice.

But while Newton County citizens were able to make snowmen and snow angels, the weather caused some interruptions in everyday life.

Government offices for Newton County and the various municipalities closed early Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday. Many of the government offices reopened with a delayed start time on Thursday.

Newton County Schools and Social Circle city schools were also closed from Tuesday-Thursday due to the winter conditions.

Additionally, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office reported 68 winter weather related accidents that came as a result of the storm.

As of Friday morning, much of the ice – with the exception of some back roads – has cleared and roads are safe to travel.

April 3 crash kills two young adults, injures third
Newton County Sheriff Car---WEB

NEWTON COUNTY — Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, a head-on collision on Highway 212 left two young adults dead and a third hospitalized.

Joe Navarro, 21, was driving the vehicle and Breanna Smith, 18, was in the passenger seat. Katie New, 20, sat between them.

According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle lost control while going around a curve and crossed the centerline, where it collided head-on with a box truck. The crash report shows that their vehicle traveled another hundred feet after impact before coming to a stop. It spun, ended up facing the opposite direction on the shoulder of the opposite lane.

Navarro and Smith were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. New was airlifted to Grady Hospital. Her current condition is not known. 

Navarro, Smith and New were not believed to be wearing seatbelts when the collision occurred.

The driver of the box truck was not reported to have suffered any injuries.

This is an ongoing story. The News will post updates as they are made available.